THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST – Chapter 1 – Episode 4

~ Michael Young, Sr.

 

The Revelation of Jesus Christ – Chapter 1
(And the OVERLOOKED Detail)

EPISODE FOUR

(Now we are going to the text of the Book of The Revelation, complete with chapter, verse, inserted comments and footnotes. These Episodes are not meant just to ask the question, “What”, but also the question, “SO WHAT?”)

Revelation 1:1, This is the revelation, [footnote ‘a’], of Jesus Christ [and His unveiling of the divine mysteries], which God [the Father] gave to Him to show to His bond-servants (believers) the things which must soon take place [in their entirety]; and He sent and communicated it by His angel (divine messenger) to His bond-servant John, verse 2, who testified and gave evidence to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to everything that he saw [in his visions]. Verse 3, Blessed, [footnote ‘b’], (happy, prosperous, and admired) is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and who keep the things which are written in it [by heeding them and taking them to heart]; for the time [of fulfillment] is near.

Message to the Seven Churches.

Verse 4. John, [footnote ‘c’], to the seven churches that are in [the province of] Asia, [footnote ‘d’]: Grace, [footnote ‘e’], [be granted] to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being], from Him Who is [existing forever] and Who was [continually existing in the past] and Who is to come, and from the seven Spirits, [footnote ‘f’], that are before His throne, verse 5, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful, [footnote ‘g’], and trustworthy Witness, the Firstborn, [footnote ‘h’], of the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who [always] loves us and who [has once for all], freed us,  [footnote ‘i’], [or washed us] from our sins by His own blood (by His sacrificial death)—verse 6, and formed us into a kingdom [as His subjects], as priests, [footnote ‘‘j], to His God and Father–to Him be the glory and the power and the majesty and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Verse 7. BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him (also see the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:30-31 as He speaks directly to His disciples about this very thing; and remember that this is the time that every eye will see Him and this is the beginning of His second coming), even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes (and nations) of the earth will mourn over Him [realizing their sin and guilt, and anticipating the coming wrath]. So it is to be. Amen. [footnote ‘k’].

Verse 8. “I am the Alpha, [footnote ‘l’], and the Omega [the Beginning and the End],” says the Lord God, “Who is [and Who always has been] and Who was [and has been continually existing in and from the past] and Who is to come [and Who had, by God’s miraculous timing, already come], the Almighty [the Omnipotent, the Ruler of all].” (When Jesus spoke these words in the Book of Matthew, He spoke of these things in the present and future tense. But now He speaks of them in the aorist tense, which has no regard for the past, present or future, as they are, in His timing, occurring simultaneously. For more detail, us this link, “The Signs of Jesus Coming.”)

PATMOS & THE OVERLOOKED DETAIL

Verse 9. I, John, your brother and companion in the tribulation (which has already begun as birth pains and will continue until the consummation of this age, as spoken of in the Book of Daniel) [footnote ‘m’], and kingdom and patient endurance which are in Jesus (and are how anyone can find the strength and resources to endure the stresses of severe trials, and persecutions with a cheerful, steadfast and patient constancy), was on the island called Patmos, [exiled there] because of [my preaching of] the word of God [regarding eternal salvation] and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Verse 10. I was in the Spirit, [footnote ‘n’] [in special communication with the Holy Spirit and empowered to receive and record the revelation from Jesus Christ] on the Lord’s Day, [footnote ‘o’], and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, verse 11, saying, “Write on a scroll what you see [in this revelation], and send it to the seven churches, [footnote ‘p’], to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

Verse 12.  Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And after turning I saw seven golden lampstands; verse 13, and in the midst of the lampstands I saw someone like the Son of Man, [footnote q], dressed in a robe reaching to His feet, and with a golden sash wrapped around His chest.  Verse 14. His head and His hair were white like white wool, [glistening white] like snow; and His [all-seeing] eyes were [flashing] like a flame of fire [piercing into my being]. Verse 15. His feet were like burnished [white-hot] bronze, refined in a furnace, and His voice was [powerful] like the sound of many waters. Verse 16. In His right hand He held seven stars, and from His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword [of judgment]; and His face [reflecting His majesty and the Shekinah glory], [footnote ‘r’], was like the sun shining in [all] its power [at midday].

Verse 17. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead. And He placed His right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last [absolute Deity, the Son of God], verse 18, and the Ever-living One [living in and beyond all time and space]. I died, but see, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of [absolute control and victory over] death and of Hades (the realm of the dead). Verse 19. So write the things which, [footnote ‘s’], you have seen [in the vision], and the things, [footnote ‘t’], which are [now happening], and the things which, [footnote ‘u’], will take place after these things. Verse 20. As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels (divine messengers, [footnote ‘v’]), of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. (End of Chapter One.)

The Key takeaways in this chapter are:

  1. John is telling us, his fellow bond-servants and the seven churches, that the tribulation has begun, and that he is in the tribulation at this time.
  2. John is writing this letter to his fellow bond-servants in Christ to encourage them and to show them how to find the strength and resources to endure the stresses of severe trials, and persecutions of the tribulation, now and later, with a cheerful, steadfast and patient constancy.
  3. Jesus loves us and has, once for all time, freed and washed us from our sins by His own blood, by His sacrificial death.
  4. He has formed us into a kingdom of His subjects, as priests, to His God and Father.
  5. John is telling us that this is our testimony in the tribulation, and it will be the reason for other to show admiration of Christ Jesus as we endure these trials.
  6. John is writing to and putting the seven churches on notice, describing Jesus in images of His majesty and power.

NEXT:  The Revelation of Jesus Christ – Letters to The 7 Churches – Episode 5.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

PREVIOUS:  THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION – IMPORTANT DETAILS FIRST – Episode 3.

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Published by Michael Young, Sr.

I am a practicing Christian, a disciple of Jesus, a husband of over 50 years, a father and a grandfather, a business man, a veteran and a friend to all who will have me. I have served or am serving, at various times, as an Evangelist, a Pulpit fill pastor, an Associate Pastor of Evangelism and as Senior Pastor of a church plant. My passion is for practicing and teaching the Bible, building small groups, reaching the lost with the message of the Gospel of Jesus, recovering the straying Sheep of God and the gathering together the Called of God, in neighborhoods, business settings and in churches by equipping other Christians. I have authored a few small books and I have a background in professional business management, finance and investments. I am glad to meet you, even if it is virtually. Write me at any time and let's become friends.

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